Some of my favorite photos~~and I am no Joel Sartore...

His Royal Highness: Wiremu King

His name is the Maori version of William~pronounced: "wid-a-mu."

He is one of the most beautiful babies I have ever had the opportunity to feast my eyes on.  Loving parents, excellent support from extended family.  The young father helped receive his sweet, waterborn son with help from my wonderful American midwife student. The mum labored and birthed with graceful dignity.  Picture was taken when Wiremu was minutes old, while still in the birth tub, before the placenta was born.

We are lucky to be in a place where normal birth is supported. Thank you New Zealand for showing the world that it can and should be a priority--and as part of a national health care system. 

These photos represent why I LOVE being a midwife.  Imagine if all babies could be welcomed with gentleness, love, and respect?

It really can be done, even if medical technology must be utilized. Too many people forget--just staying busy doing their "job," trying to meet the rules of their institution--which sadly are not always doing what the evidence says we should be--to enhance family bonding/attachment, breastfeeding, etc.

Unfortunately, normal birth is not a big money maker for western medicine, insurance companies...so it stays under the radar, only getting attention from people who realize our health care system is breaking and that we need to support it--if only to save money! Saving money is a start, but there are many more reasons to keep birth normal.

We midwives aren't doing our work with any big fanfare, not a lot of media attention, no one is getting rich--we are part of a powerful, mostly unseen revolution happening all over the planet in private homes, birth centres and in hospitals. We are trying to make the world better one baby at a time.

How we are born makes a lasting impression on our lives~~

Tuatapere Maternity's renovated birth room and waterbirth room

A professional colorist picked out the colors and fabrics. Please look at the BEFORE (previous post on December 30th) and now the AFTER...what do you think?

I suspect that Kiwi and Yankee midwives would have picked out something a bit different, but I do appreciate that the space has been "updated."

We have had three patients birth here this past week, and the report is that they liked being in the new space.

So many, many people worked hard to pull this project together.  Kudos to a hard working volunteer Community Trust that runs both the maternity "hospital," (birth centre) and Medical Centre.  Thanks to the dedicated people that have made this possible!

 

 

 

I solicited this piece to be donated from a NZ artist, and I think it is perfect addition!

 

 

 

Seven new Southlander babies have been born since my last post

There have been a couple more births with gorgeous babies and empowering birth stories.

 

There were two elective “caesars,” remembering that all caesarean sections are called “elective,” unless they occur during  active labor.

One was a repeat c/section due to maternal preference, after a long first labor and birth, and a missed breech presentation until she was completely dilated.   She said she was too scared to go through that again.

The other section was done because of IUGR in identical twin boys with a discrepancy of weight between the two of one pound.   They were small, at 35+2 with weights of 3#13oz. and 4#14oz.  In New Zealand, the “Lead Maternity Carer,” (me in this case) for both patients means that if I go the hospital and be there in a supportive capacity, our primary birth unit gets funded for me being in attendance during the surgery.  The role is obviously supportive in nature—but the opportunity to be a familiar face, take photos can be really important for the families, and a pleasure for the midwife.

In the twin c/section the two physicians were from America.  I was there with one of my American students.  The joke was that that the babies would come out with an American accent since we were almost evenly divided.  During the surgery, after the boys were out, a lightening strike caused a power outage in the whole hospital and all sorts of alarms went off.  The essential equipment kept running, but the surgical suite or “theatre” was much darker.  Both fellas spent some time in the NICU, one for CPAP and now both are feeders and growers. 

I had the opportunity to meet the neonatalogist caring for these babies, and very different from the USA he reached out his hand and said: "my name is Sam X." 

That is the way it is done in New Zealand.  The doctors and rest of the team are addressed on a first name basis.  While there is a hierarchy in role expertise, there is not a hierarchy in relationships with medical colleagues and staff.  [Truly amazing—pop out my eyeballs, give me CPR amazing]

At Tuatapere, the Family Practice Physician—called a GP here, finally told me that I could stop calling him Dr. Jones, since everyone else called him by his first name.  I mentioned that I LIKED calling him Dr. Jones, because it reminded me of the kid yelling: “Dr. Jones! Dr. Jones!” in the Indiana Jones movies.  He gave me a funny look, as if he was trying to humor the crazy American…but I did try to remember to call him David.  Alas, he moved on to greener pastures here in NZ, but the attitude in this country is that more education does not make you a better person.

Clearly one of the top five reasons for being in this country!  No room for arrogance in NZ, in fact there is something about being the tall poppy in the field, if you try to make yourself stand out from all the rest--you risk being lopped off first.

With three more births this past week--it has been very busy...and we still have two past due and three more due before this burst of babies slows down.